Recent releases by The Weight Band and Maurice Tani as well as a tribute to Christine McVie were featured on the Dec. 3 edition of Greasy Tracks.
Check out the archive by clicking here, while a playlist is here.
The Weight Band appears at The Warehouse at FTC in Fairfield on Dec. 16 and Infinity Music Hall in Hartford on Dec. 17. They recently released Shines Like Gold, their first studio effort since their debut, World Gone Mad in 2018. Keyboardist/vocalist Brian Mitchell discusses the album and up-coming shows in an interview that will air during the program. There will be tickets given away to the Infinity Hall appearance.
Based in the San Francisco Bay area, Tani’s latest release is All In! (Little Village Foundation) where the veteran guitarist, singer and composer goes for a more soulful country sound with hints of rock on his album of original tracks, minus a superb rendition “I Forgot To Be Your Lover” — the Booker T. Jones/William Bell chestnut. Highlighting the album are appearances by The Sons Of The Soul Revivers who add a gospel influence to a pair of tracks.
Formed nearly a decade ago by musicians who traced their lineage to The Band and Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble Band, The Weight Band specialized in keepingThe Band’s catalog alive and well on stage, but over the years, began to incorporate original material. Their latest effort maintains their traditional Band-influence sound, but runs the gamut from Americana/roots rock to blues and a couple of ballads. The lone cover is a wonderful rendition of Willie Dixon’s “It Don’t Make Sense (If You Can’t Make Peace)”.
Just as The Band featured a versatile collection of singers and players, The Weight Band follows suit with Mitchell, bassist Albert Rogers, drummer Michael Bram and keyboardist Matt Zeiner all handling vocal duties while guitarist Jim Weider, who spent 15 years in The Band, rounds out the lineup.
McVie, a long-time member of Fleetwood Mac, passed away at the age of 79 on Nov. 30. The program avoided playing standard FM fare when it comes to the McVie tribute.